Barber Shop at Trevi Fountain: The Haircut, Rome

After saying goodbye to Joe Bradley at his apartment on Via Margutta, Princess Anne wanders through Rome with 1,000 lire in hand—an amount that, in today’s currency, barely covers a public restroom visit. Despite the modest sum, she manages to buy shoes, enjoy an ice cream, get a haircut, and even give a coin to a flower seller. Her spontaneous adventure leads her to a hair salon near the Trevi Fountain, where she is inspired by a stylish Italian woman’s short hairdo. Entranced by the idea of a transformation, she steps into the barbershop and entrusts her locks to the barber Mario Delani.

The hairdresser’s shop was located at 85 Via della Stamperia, to the east of the Trevi Fountain, an iconic Roman landmark built in 1762. Tradition dictates that tossing coins into the fountain determines one’s fate: one coin ensures a return to Rome, two bring luck in love, three mean marriage, and four promise wealth. Custom also requires that the coin be thrown with the right hand over the left shoulder, standing with one’s back to the fountain. Standing this way, you can clearly see, to your left, the former hairdresser's shop.

Although the barbershop has now transformed into a leather goods store, a poster on the door commemorates its cinematic history. Furthermore, according to legend, a barbershop had been there since the 18th century, when architect Nicola Salvi was building the Trevi Fountain. The shop’s owner, frustrated by the dust and noise from the construction, constantly complained to the architect. In an act of elegant revenge, Salvi placed a decorative stone vase in front of the shop’s windows, permanently blocking the view of the grand fountain—a petty yet poetic gesture that remains to this day.

This historical quirk sparks the thought that the shop should be repurchased and restored to its former glory as a hair salon. The idea of many female tourists flocking to get the famous “shorter, shorter!” haircut is sure tantalizing. And who knows, maybe their enthusiasm would eventually prove sufficient to facilitate the removal of Salvi’s stone obstruction.